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Tooltip

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Tooltips provide additional information when users hover over or focus on an element.

Tooltip - Usage

Use tooltips to clarify the function of familiar icon-only controls or add brief context without cluttering the interface. We recommend them only for non-essential information that users can understand without interacting with the overlay. Use tooltips sparingly and prefer visible labels for unfamiliar icons or important information.

Tooltip anatomy

  1. Tooltip container
  2. Spike
  3. Icon and title
  4. Content

Options​

  • Title: Add a short title when users need a topic before reading the content. Omit it when a single line explains the trigger clearly.
  • Icon: Add an icon only when it helps users identify the message type or subject faster.
  • Content: Keep content brief and specific. Follow the tooltip language guidance for labels, sentence structure and punctuation.
  • Interactive: Enable this option when users need to move the pointer onto the tooltip, for example to select or copy its content.
  • Spike direction: Point the spike toward the trigger. Choose top, right, bottom or left based on the available space, or omit the spike when the relationship to the trigger is clear.

Behavior in context​

Tooltip behavior

  • Interaction: Tooltips appear when users hover over or focus the trigger and disappear when the pointer or focus moves away. The component controls the delay for showing and hiding tooltips.
  • Overflow: Tooltips wrap content within their predefined maximum width of 292 px. Their height adapts to the content and has no predefined maximum.
  • Placement: The position depends on the trigger element, e.g. a button. By default, tooltips appear above the trigger. When there isn’t enough space for the selected placement, the position is corrected automatically.
  • Responsiveness: Touch devices don’t provide a persistent hover state. Tapping a trigger can open its tooltip and activate the trigger’s primary action at the same time.
  • Accessibility: The aria-describedby attribute connects tooltips to their triggers as supplementary descriptions. Accessible names remain separate. Disabled elements don’t receive keyboard focus, so their tooltips don’t appear through focus.

States​

Tooltips don’t have visual interaction states. They are hidden by default and appear when users hover over or focus the trigger.

Dos and Don’ts​

  • Do use tooltips to name familiar icon-only controls or provide supplementary context
  • Do keep tooltip content concise and useful without further interaction
  • Do use tooltips only with familiar icons and provide unfamiliar icons with visible labels that communicate their meaning without hover or focus
  • Don’t place essential instructions or critical feedback only in a tooltip, use persistent content or message modals instead
  • Don’t add links, buttons or form controls to tooltips, use popovers instead
  • Don’t repeat a visible label when the tooltip adds no new information
  • Don’t attach tooltips to disabled elements
  • Don’t use native browser tooltips, use the tooltip component for consistent behavior and accessibility